The Peregrine Falcon is Back!Babbitt Announces Removal of
World's Fastest Bird From Endangered Species List

Today, the world's fastest bird soars off of the Endangered Species list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the peregrine falcon from
the list of endangered and threatened species marking one of the most
dramatic success stories of the Endangered Species Act.

The peregrine once ranged throughout much of North America from the subarctic
boreal forests of Alaska and Canada south to Mexico. A medium-sized raptor,
the falcon nests on tall cliffs or urban skyscrapers and hunts other birds
for food, reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour as it dives after its prey.
While those nesting in the lower latitudes migrate shorter distances,
if at all, peregrines nesting in Alaska and Canada are well known for
their long spring and fall flights to and from wintering areas in Latin
and South America.

The bird's remarkable speed and agility, however, could do nothing to
prevent its sharp decline after World War II when widespread use of the
pesticide DDT and other organocholorine pesticides decimated populations.
The pesticide DDT caused peregrines to lay thin-shelled eggs that broke
during incubation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife researchers confirmed the link
between DDT and egg shell thinning on peregrines in the United States.
Rachel Carson, a former Service employee, helped alert the public to the
hazards of pesticides on wildlife in 1962 when she published her book
Silent Spring. Ten years later, the Environmental Protection Agency made
the historic and, at the time, controversial decision to ban the use of
DDT in the United States, which was the first step on the road to recovery
for the peregrine.

In 1970, the Service listed the peregrine falcon as endangered under
the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969, the predecessor of the
current law, when the population in the eastern United States had completely
disappeared, and populations in the west had declined by as much as 80
to 90 percent below historical levels. By 1975, the population reached
an all-time low of 324 nesting pairs in North America.

The banning of DDT made the recovery of the peregrine falcon possible.
However, the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act and the
extraordinary partnership efforts of the Service and state wildlife agencies,
universities, private ornithological groups, and falcon enthusiasts accelerated
the pace of recovery through captive breeding programs, reintroduction
efforts, and the protection of nest sites during the breeding season.
Similar efforts took place in Canada, where the Canadian Wildlife Service
and provincial agencies took the lead in a major captive breeding and
reintroduction program. Currently, there are at least 1,650 peregrine
breeding pairs in the United States and Canada, well above the overall
recovery goal of 631 pairs.

"The peregrine falcon is a perfect example of the success we can
have when we work in partnership to recover endangered species,"
said Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Department of the Interior. AWith
the help of the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act, and
the visionary work in captive breeding and release efforts by The Peregrine
Fund, the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center and the University of
California's Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, the peregrine flies
through the skies of almost every state in the Union."

The peregrine falcon joins the southeastern population of the brown pelican,
the American alligator, the Rydberg milk-vetch, and the gray whale as
graduates of the endangered species list.

Overall, government and private raptor experts have reintroduced more
than 6,000 falcons into the wild since 1974. Some of the reintroductions
took place in urban areas after researchers discovered that the falcons
have successfully adapted to nesting on skyscrapers where they can hunt
pigeons and starlings.

The peregrine will continue to be protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act (MTBA). The MBTA prohibits the taking, killing possession, transportation,
and importation of migratory birds, their eggs, parts, and nests except
when specifically authorized by the Interior Department, such as in the
case of regulated hunting seasons for game birds.

The Service has continued the prohibition on the take of peregrines for
all purposes until management guidelines are developed in coordination
with the States. The Office of Migratory Birds has issued a letter to
all affected permit holders to alert them of this amendment to their permits.
The Service is working with the States to develop management plans for
the take of peregrines for falconry purposes.

In addition, the Service will work with state wildlife agencies, conservation
organizations, and others to monitor the status of the species. The Endangered
Species Act requires that a species be monitored for a minimum of five
years after delisting. The Service has decided to monitor the peregrine
falcon for 13 years with surveys occurring once every three years, allowing
for five surveys to provide data that will reflect the status of at least
two generations of peregrines. If it becomes evident during this period
that the bird again needs the Act's protection, the Service would relist
the species.

State wildlife agencies also played a fundamental role in the recovery
process by protecting nesting habitat, carrying out releases, and monitoring
populations within their borders.

"The recovery of the peregrine has been a model of partnership in
the conservation and recovery of an endangered species," Babbitt
said. "I hope that the success of the peregrine will inspire other
communities to come together to protect and recover other vulnerable species."

The Service's decision to delist the peregrine falcon will be available
for public inspection at the Federal Register on August 20, 1999.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible
for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and
their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The
Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised
of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands,
and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish
hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices, and 78
ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife
laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation
efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid Program that distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies,